In 490 BCE Pheidippides ran for 36 hours straight from Athens to Sparta to seek help in defending Athens from a Persian invasion. He was hailed as a hero and his run stands enduringly as one of greatest physical accomplishments in history.Dean Karnazes honours this achievement and his own Greek heritage by attempting this ancient journey in modern times. His account of running the gruelling Spartathlon, fuelled only by the figs, olives and meats available to Pheidippides, will captivate even the most sedentary readers.